Hyōgo · Kinosaki Onsen
Yanagi-yu (Kinosaki public bath)
柳湯（城崎温泉 外湯）
The smallest and hottest of the seven baths — a little wooden bathhouse on the willow-lined canal, where you soak shoulder to shoulder with locals. Opens at 3 pm.
- Price (adult)
- ¥800
- Hours
- 15:00–23:00 (last entry 22:30)
- Closed
- Thu
- Access
- 7 min walk from JR Kinosaki-Onsen Station
- Water type
- Simple spring
- Tattoos
- Allowed
- Admission
- Adults ¥800 / children (3 to elementary) ¥400. “Yumepa” day pass ¥1,500 / ¥750 for unlimited entry to all seven baths (sold at any bath). Guests of member ryokan bathe free from check-in to check-out with a barcode pass
- Water
- Sodium-calcium-chloride hot spring, ~42 °C, centrally distributed to all seven baths. Neuralgia, muscle pain, bruises, chronic digestive complaints, piles, fatigue
- Highlights
- Smallest and reputedly hottest of the seven; named for a spring that rose beneath a willow transplanted from China’s West Lake. Free foot bath in front. Opens at 15:00
- Amenities
- Shampoo and body soap provided; towels sold (bring from your ryokan). ¥100 refundable lockers. Tattoos are officially welcome in Kinosaki’s public baths
- Phone
- 0796-32-2097
- Official site
- kinosaki-spa.gr.jp ↗
- Open in Google Maps
- Google Maps ↗
Essentials
Stay in this onsen town
Compare and book stays in Kinosaki Onsen. Day bathing itself needs no booking.
Opens partner booking site (affiliate)
Why go
- Hottest bath in town — a connoisseur's pick
- Best location on the willow canal
- Perfect finish to an evening yukata stroll
Smallest, hottest — the bath of fertility and safe birth
Yanagi-yu (“willow bath”) is named for a spring that welled up beneath a willow transplanted from China’s scenic West Lake. The smallest of the seven, its tub fills with just a few bathers, but the intimate wooden building and hot water make it a favourite with onsen lovers. It is the bath of fertility and safe childbirth, and a free foot bath out front lets you pause even without bathing. Opens at 15:00 — slot it into an evening stroll.
Tips & cautions
- Last entry 30 min before closing.
- The seven baths stagger their weekly closures (Kono-yu Tue, Mandara-yu Wed, Gosho-no-yu Thu, Ichi-no-yu Wed, Yanagi-yu Thu, Jizo-yu Mon, Sato-no-yu Mon), so 5–6 are always open.
- The tourist association site shows live crowding for each bath.
- Strolling bath to bath in yukata and geta is the Kinosaki way; ryokan guests get a free pass with their yukata.
- Since Nov 2023 facilities using natural spring water display an official “Kinosaki natural onsen” certificate.
Getting there
About 8 min on foot from JR Kinosaki-Onsen Station (Yushima 647), on the south bank of the Otani river between Ichi-no-yu and Mandara-yu.
Before you go
- Payment is usually by ticket machine in cash — bring coins.
- Last entry is 30–60 minutes before closing.
Features
Baths
Only here
Price
Mood & scenery
Rules & private
Convenience
Amenities
✔ Verified operating: 2026-09 Operating status and rates cross-checked against the official site and onsen guides (full source notes in Japanese on the JA page)
Prices and hours change. Check official sources before visiting.
More in this area
Gosho-no-Yu (Kinosaki outer bath)
The most popular of Kinosaki's seven public baths. In a building modeled on the Kyoto Imperial Palace, a waterfall rotenburo faces the hillside and a glass-roofed 'sky bath' sits indoors, all renovated in 2020. Overnight guests get free entry with the 'Yumepa' pass, so evenings are busy with yukata-clad bathers — go at 7 am when it opens.
Kin-no-Yu
The public bathhouse of Arima, one of Japan's three oldest hot springs. For ¥800 you can soak in the 'kinsen' — iron- and salt-rich water that turns rusty brown on contact with air, in pools at 42°C and 44°C. Under an hour by train from Kobe or Osaka, so an easy day trip. Free foot bath and drinking fountain outside. No tattoos.
Ichi-no-Yu (Kinosaki outer bath)
Kinosaki's flagship outer bath, praised as 'the best under heaven' by an Edo-period physician. Its cave bath carved into rock is the draw; the kabuki-theatre-style building is the town's landmark.
